This section documents the Recurring Submissions meta box displayed on individual entry pages and its shortcode equivalent for front‑end display.
PathForms → [Selected Form] → Entries → [Select Entry]
The meta box appears on entries belonging to forms that have at least one active Recurring Submissions feed configured.
Meta Box Overview #
Proper Term: In Gravity Forms, this element is called an Entry Meta Box.
The Recurring Submissions entry meta box provides a snapshot of the series associated with the current entry, along with context‑specific actions.
Common Layout #
- Feed Name – clickable link; opens the feed configuration in a new tab.
- Series State – displays whether the entry has an active recurring series.
When There Is No Active Series #
When the entry has no active recurring series, the meta box displays the message “No Active Resubmissions.” Two buttons become available:
1. Process Feed Now #
Simulates as if the entry was created and the feed ran now.
- Immediately starts the feed from the current time.
- Schedules the full configured number of resubmissions.
Example: if the feed is set to run monthly for 10 resubmissions, this action will start all 10 months of submissions beginning today.
2. Start Resubmissions #
Simulates the feed as if it had been running since the original entry date.
- Calculates how many resubmissions should have already happened based on elapsed time and skips them.
- Only future‑due resubmissions are scheduled.
Example: if the feed was meant to run monthly for 10 resubmissions and you start it 5 months after the original entry, it will only schedule 5 future runs. - Does not backfill any past submissions.
When There Is an Active Series #
If the entry is the parent of an active series, the meta box displays detailed series information:
- Feed Label
- Original Submission Date
- Successful Resubmissions
- Current Expected Resubmissions
- Total Expected Resubmissions
- Next Resubmission (date of next scheduled run)
Available Buttons #
- Cancel Resubmissions – ends the series entirely. Once canceled, it cannot be resumed.
- Process Next Submission – immediately triggers the next scheduled resubmission. This action does not alter future scheduling. The next automatic run will still occur at the regular cadence relative to its originally scheduled time.
Handling Failed Resubmissions #
If any resubmissions in the series fail, the widget will show the number of failures and two additional buttons:
1. Submit Form Now #
Attempts to reprocess the failed submission immediately.
- Does not alter future scheduling.
- If this attempt also fails, the failure count remains unchanged.
- If it succeeds, the oldest failure is marked as corrected.
2. Mark Submission as Fixed #
Updates plugin logs to indicate a failed submission has been manually resolved.
- Use this if you’ve manually submitted the corresponding form outside of the plugin’s automation.
- Removes the oldest failure from the failure log and decrements the failure count.
Series Lifecycle: A series with failures will not be marked complete or deleted until all failures are either successfully retried or manually marked as fixed.
Shortcode – Entry Widget #
You can display the same widget on the front end by using the shortcode:
[rfsfgf_entry_widget form_id="{form_id}" entry_id="{entry_id}"]
Output: Renders the same meta box interface shown on the entry page, including the buttons and status display.
Usage Example: Embed inside a client or staff portal to allow authorized users to monitor or manage their own recurring submissions.
Entry Notes #
The plugin automatically creates entry notes to document each stage of a recurring series. These appear in the standard Gravity Forms entry notes section and include:
- Notifications when a series starts or ends.
- Timestamps for each next scheduled resubmission.
- Links to parent and child entries, which open in a new tab.
- Logs of resubmission errors, cancellations, or other status changes.
These notes serve as a complete audit trail for the lifecycle of every recurring series.
